In the middle of tilled farmland and fields of corn and soybeans sits Schaefer Prairie, a reminder of what the southwestern part of the county looked like 200 years ago.

It’s just a small, 160-acre remnant of the expansive tall grass prairie that once covered millions of acres in Minnesota, the Dakotas and Iowa.

In 1955, Dr. Walter Breckenridge, director of the Bell Museum at the University of Minnesota, visited the site that was then known as Brownton Prairie and suggested it be preserved for research. Mrs. Warron Leonard owned the land at that time, but eventually sold it to The Nature Conservancy in 1967. It was later renamed Schaefer Prairie after Leonard’s father, Frederick.

Visitors are welcomed at Schaefer Prairie, especially during the flowering season. And people have come from around the country to view the natural habitat. Some uncommon blossoms mixed among the native bluestem and Indian grasses are the prairie loosestrife and white lady’s slipper. Other rare plants to look out for are Nuttall’s bur-reed, previously thought only to exist in northeastern Minnesota’s bogs, and Sullivant’s milkweed, which is a threatened species. Bird watchers will find winged creatures such as the sandpiper bobolink and red-winged blackbird, among many others.

If planning a trip to the prairie, be advised that there are no trails and come prepared for poison ivy and mosquitoes. Area schools, as well as college students and researchers, may get permission to use Schaefer Prairie as an outdoor classroom by calling The Nature Conservancy at (612) 331-0750, or by e-mailing minnesota@tnc.org.

Directions: Take State Highway 15 south to U.S. Highway 212 east. Drive three miles and turn south on a gravel road, Nature Avenue, opposite County Road 4. Drive one-half mile to the first intersection. Schaefer Prairie sits southwest of that intersection.